How the joint discussion of Ukrainian and Polish media and NGOs, initiated by “Holka,” helped expose Russian disinformation

“Holka,” together with its partner organization in Poland, “Alians 24/08,” held an expert meeting in Warsaw that brought together leading media professionals, journalists, and civil society representatives from both countries to discuss the most challenging issues in bilateral relations and counter common information threats.

The main goal of the event was to create a space for a professional, constructive, and emotion-free dialogue between Ukrainian and Polish specialists. Participants focused on analyzing anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Poland and examining how Russian propaganda specifically fuels hostility between our nations.

Margarita Sytnyk, co-founder of “Holka” and author of the project “Bridges of Ukraine,” presented the findings of an analysis on how the image of Poles and Poland is constructed and distorted in Ukrainian-language and Russian-language propaganda Telegram channels. Artur Koldomasov, Chairman of the Board of “Alians 24/08,” presented the results of monitoring Russian-language Polish Telegram channels for manipulations surrounding historical topics. In particular, an analysis of posts regarding the situation concerning the orders of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy was presented, which began actively appearing on Telegram more than a week before official political statements were made in Poland.

The monitoring results presented at the meeting inspired the team of the reputable Polish publication OKO.press to conduct their own in-depth investigation. Journalist Khrystyna Harbich, who participated in the meeting, noted:

“This was a very necessary and important initiative. The organizers of the meeting shared the results of their research with us, which once again confirms that Russian propaganda plays a significant role in the deterioration of relations. A concrete example can be cited here: the initiative of the Polish president to strip Volodymyr Zelenskyy of his order was, in a sense, inspired by pro-Russian and anti-Ukrainian actors who spread these ideas on social media before such a decision was proposed by Karol Nawrocki. Subsequently, my editorial colleague, disinformation expert Anna Mierzyńska at OKO.press, deepened this research and conducted her own investigation, thus bringing the truth to a wider audience.”

“Holka” plans to continue researching disinformation narratives and the cooperation between Ukraine and Poland to foster better coexistence and strengthen solidarity between our countries within the framework of the “Bridges of Ukraine” project.